Tuesday, August 14, 2007

Jose Reyes vs. Hanley Ramirez

This past weekend Mets fans got a chance to watch (in my opinion) the two best shortstops in the game today. While Ramirez had a better series than Reyes I started to compare the two to determine what strengths one had that the other didn't. Here are my findings:

Speed: Both guys are fast, but this isn't even close. Reyes runs from 1st to home on a ball that barely reaches the outfield grass. You might as well call Reyes, Barry Allen (a.k.a. The Flash).
Advantage: Reyes


Power: Reyes had much better power numbers last year and I think he'll eventually start hitting 20 homers a year, but Ramirez has got some pop. His shot to center field on Friday night was a bullet, and although it might be Mets pitching Ramirez seemed to crush the ball every time up.
Advantage: Ramirez


Glove: Both made some stellar plays in the field, and I was actually surprised at how well Ramirez plays the position. This one is too close to call.
Advantage: Push

Attitude: Jose Reyes is all smiles all the time. He looks like he's enjoying the game of baseball. Ramirez on the other hand looks like he's seriously ticked off all the time. I didn't see the guy crack a smile the whole series. I'm not sure if he thought he had to prove something in this series against Reyes, but man was he angry. Calm down Ramirez, we know you're good.
Big Advantage: Reyes

There are a number of other areas we could debate, but these were the areas I distinctly saw in this past weekend's series. Ramirez is going to be an All Star for years to come and only going to get better in the coming seasons. Although Reyes has struggled at time, as he goes so do the Mets. Reyes is batting over .350 in games the Mets win and under .250 in Mets' losses. That says it all to me.

2 comments:

bryan said...

I'd say overall it's a push. They both do things better than the other. Ramirez is a better hitter. But Reyes is a far better fielder. Reyes will win the Gold Glove, while Ramirez has about 17 errors. Man, can Ramirez hit though.

Tommy said...

good post. i am putting it on my site